Sir Mervyn King delivered one final snub to Danny Blanchflower, his fiercest critic, as he saw out his last days as Bank of England Governor.

The economist who demanded that King “must go” three years ago was left off the guest list for Sir Mervyn’s farewell drinks this week, leaving the former rate-setter fuming that he “wasn’t welcome, just as I wasn’t when I joined [the BoE]”.

Even former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling was invited to sup the evening’s champagne punchbowl, which – contrary to Sir Mervyn’s famous advice on preventing a financial “hangover” – was not taken away just as the party was getting started.

Darling and Sir Mervyn have not always seen eye to eye, especially since the Governor’s enthusiastic support for the Tories’ fiscal policy in the run-up to the 2010 general election.

But bygones are bygones. Diary understands Darling felt it would have been churlish not to attend.

Responding to a question in the Commons on “whether the compensation paid to Mr Hester had to be authorised by UKFI”, the Treasury’s economic secretary Sajid Javid revealed that UKFI was “consulted on the terms, but the final decision was for the RBS board”.

Time for UKFI to show some more teeth?

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Female staff at the Santiago HQ of reinsurer Aon Benfield might stop their latest recruit, Charlie Bick, for an autograph.

For the past two years, the 20-something has been a presenter on the hit youth TV show Calle 7, after making an impression on the Chilean version of The X Factor.

But Charlie may not be challenging Aon president Gregory Case just yet. According to his father David Bick, the chairman of City consultancy Square1, Charlie’s move into reinsurance after Calle 7 went off-air last month is simply a ruse to “continue to avoid university”.